US-based music streaming platform Pandora has launched discounted plans for students and military personnel.
The Pandora Student Plan offers full Pandora Premium features for $4.99/month, with a 60-day free trial, according to a blog post published yesterday (May 7).
The move brings Pandora’ pricing options in line with rivals like YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Apple Music, which all offer discounted student plans.
The Pandora Military Plans offer the same Premium features to those with qualified military status (including active duty, reservists, retirees, veterans, and military family) for just $7.99/month, with a 60-day free trial.
The new plans follow last year’s launch of the Pandora Premium Family Plan, where up to six family members get Premium features for $14.99/month.
Pandora’s new owner SiriusXM has been rolling out a number of initiatives to ensure that the the streaming service can keep a foothold in the increasingly competitive music streaming space.
SirusXM recently pledged a ‘major commitment to delivering world-class content’ for Pandora users with the development of a dedicated Content Team to rival the likes of Spotify as some of it focus shifts from music to non music content.
Content from select SiriusXM shows was also made available to all Pandora listeners as podcasts.
Published last week, SiriusXM’s Q1 2019 operating and financial results – its first after completing its $3.5bn all-stock acquisition of Pandora Media – revelead that the streaming giant’s profit had declined 44% year-on-year to $162 million.
The sharp decline was blamed partly on the “acquisition and other costs” related to the Pandora acquisition.Music Business Worldwide
